Overshoe for sports

ABSTRACT

An overshoe for sports is comprised of a flexible, stretchable, waterproof material with a plurality of spikes extending from the a base surface that is entirely flat. The plurality of spikes forms a circular design at the toe portion of the flat base and staggers outward so that the spikes uniformly cover the base. The design and placement of the spikes enhances the balance of the user while preventing large amounts of turf or earth from clinging to the base of the outsole. The flat base surface allows the overshoe to contour around a user&#39;s footwear of choice thus maintaining a flat surface with the ground while, at the same time, maintaining the user&#39;s comfort in his footwear of choice. The flat base surface also assists in maintaining balance while contemporaneously restricting sway and movement of other parts of the body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an overshoe that can be worn over auser's shoes to provide protection against water and mud, while, at thesame time, permitting the user to have stability for performing anathletic movement, such as a golf swing.

2. Background Description

Water resistant overshoes, designed to allow a user to more easily playgolf or other sports in wet or muddy conditions, have been described invarious patents.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,352 shows an overshoe for golf with screwed on metalspikes or cleats. The overshoe is shown with a bottom surface having anarched portion separating the heel and toe portions of the bottomsurface, and curved toe portion. No cleats or spikes protrude from thearched portion separating the heel and toe portions.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,101 shows a softspike overshoe for playing golf.There are both integrated diamond-shaped spikes and a raised grid-likepattern on the bottom surface of the shoe. Like the '352 patent, theovershoe shows a bottom surface with an arched portion separating theheel and toe portions of the bottom surface, and does not include spikesin this arched portion.

Currently, the undersigned is not aware of any commercially availableovershoe products with spiked bottom surfaces such as those described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,643,352 and 6,568,101. This maybe due to problems withthe design of the overshoes or for other reasons. Given that thepopularity of golf is expanding, and that rain and inclement weathercontinues to pose problems for golfing or other sports activities, thereis a need for improved overshoe designs that allow for better stability,ease of manufacture, comfort to the wearer, and ease of use in wet ormuddy conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an exemplary object of this invention to provide an overshoe witha bottom surface with downwardly projecting spikes uniformly distributedthereon, and where the bottom surface is flat from heel to toe, therebyallowing for more contact with the earth and greater stability.

It is another exemplary object of this invention to provide an overshoewith a bottom surface having a plurality of downward projectingpyramidal shaped spikes that are separated from one another so as toavoid collection of turf on the bottom surface of the shoe.

It is yet another exemplary object of this invention to provide anovershoe with a bottom surface having a plurality of downward projectingpyramidal shaped spikes distributed uniformly thereon, with a portion ofthe sole designed with a circular pattern of the pyramidal shaped spikesto allow for improved turning ability for the wearer, while stillallowing greater stability.

The overshoe of the present invention is made of a flexible, stretchablematerial (e.g., rubber, plastic, etc.) for stretching over a user'sfootwear. The flexible, stretchable material is all-weather andwaterproof to protect the user's footwear. The overshoe includes an opentop portion in which a user's footwear can be inserted. A heel portionof the open top portion may include an integrally formed, or otherwiseconnected, pull-tab that assists the user in stretching the overshoeover his or her footwear. The overshoe further includes a bottom portionthat extends from the heel portion to the toe portion, and is preferablyintegrally formed with the top portion so as to form one continuouspiece. The bottom portion includes a bottom surface, or base surface,with a plurality of spikes projecting downward from the bottom surface.The spikes may be integrally formed with the bottom surface of thebottom portion, or otherwise attached to the bottom surface. Preferably,the spikes are pyramidal shaped; however, any pointed shape of spike canbe used (e.g., diamond, conical, etc.). Moreover, the spikes aremanufactured at a suitable height and width so as to not restrict theturn of the foot on the outdoor surface. Accordingly, pressure on thewearer's knees is reduced.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the base surfaceof the portion is uniformly and continuously flat from a heel region toa toe region. In other words, the base surface does not include anarched portion that makes the heel portion distinct from the toe portionof the bottom portion. The purpose and benefit of the uniformly flatbase surface are two-fold. First, the flat base surface assists inmaintaining balance while contemporaneously restricting sway andmovement of other parts of the body. In the sport of golf, for example,the flat base surface will help a golfer maintain his balance andrestrict unnecessary bodily movement (e.g., the head) during a golfswing and putting. As is known in the sport of golf, balance andrestriction of certain bodily movements are some of the most importantsteps in executing the proper golf swing. Thus, those familiar with thesport of golf will appreciate the enhanced swinging and puttingtechniques that result from an overshoe with a flat base surface.Second, the overshoe is capable of stretching over footwear with adeeper or wider heel or sole construction while maintaining the flatbase surface. Thus, a user can maintain the comfort of his or herfootwear of choice while ensuring balance and certain required movementrestriction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the spikeslocated in a sole region of the base surface of the bottom portion arearranged in a circular pattern. This circular pattern is designed to leta user turn between 1 and 360 degrees on the user's feet withoutapplying excessive pressure to other parts of the feet and legs duringwalking, running or other movements necessary in outdoor sports andrelated activities. In the sport of golf, for example, the circularpattern enhances a user's golf swing on the final path through the ball.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the spikes aredistributed over an entirety of the base surface of the bottom portionfrom the heel region to the toe region and at all points in between. Thespikes not positioned in a circular pattern are, preferably, distributedin a staggered pattern and, generally, evenly spaced apart from oneanother. The spacing can range from 1/20 of an inch to 1 inch. Withinthe scope of this invention, staggered means that the adjacent spike isslightly offset and spaced apart, as shown in FIG. 1. This staggeredpattern and the distance between the spikes reduces turf build-up on thebottom surface of the overshoe. If turf does collect on the bottomsurface of the overshoe, the staggered pattern allows the overshoe torelease grass, dirt, and turf that builds up on the base surface byflexing the overshoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will be betterunderstood from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the overshoe of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the overshoe of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the overshoe of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the overshoe of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a length wise cross-sectional view of the overshoe of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the overshoe along line A-A in FIG.1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the overshoe along line B-B in FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the overshoe along line C-C in FIG.1;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the overshoe along line D-D in FIG.1;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the overshoe of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the overshoe of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a back view of the overshoe of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and4, there is shown an overshoe for sports according to the presentinvention. The overshoe 10 includes an outsole 12 made of flexible,stretchable material with a base surface 14, which includes a pluralityof spikes 16. The outsole 12 has a toe portion 12 a and a heel portion12 b, and the base surface 14 has a toe portion 14 a and a heel portion14 b. The overshoe 10 is preferably made of rubber, plastic, polyvinylchloride or any flexible, stretchable material that is waterproof orwater resistant. Preferably, the toe portions 12 a, 14 a and heelportions 12 b, 14 b of the outsole 12 and base surface 14, respectively,will be constructed with an appropriate thickness of the material so asto be rigid enough to play on outdoor terrains and in outdoor conditionsthat one would encounter while playing outdoor sports such as golf.

The overshoe 10 also preferably includes a pull tab 18 made of flexible,stretchable material. The pull tab 18 may be integrated with theovershoe 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pull tab 18 is integratedinto the upper heel portion 22 a of the outsole 12 so as to form onecontinuous piece. Alternatively, the pull tab 18 can be sown in orotherwise attached to the upper heel portion 22 a, as shown in FIG. 10.When a user is placing the overshoe 10 over the user's footwear ofchoice, the user will pull the tab 18 in order to stretch the outsole 12over the footwear. The pull tab 18 is, preferably, integrated in orderto prevent the tab from ripping from the upper heel portion 22 a of theoutsole 12.

The base surface 14 extends from the toe portion 14 a to the heelportion 14 b, and is continuously flat from the toe portion 14 a to theheel portion 14 b, thus allowing the base surface 14 to be in contactwith the ground from heel to toe. Particularly, there is no archedportion that would make the toe portion 14 a distinct from the heelportion 14 b. When a user stretches the overshoe over his or herfootwear, the base surface 14 remains continuously flat, even if theuser's footwear includes a deeper or wider heel or sole construction.The flat base surface 14 assists in balance and movement restriction ina way that a base surface with an arched portion cannot. Specifically,because the base surface 14, including the toe portion 14 a and heelportion 14 b, uniformly contacts the ground, the user can better controlhis or her balance by easily distributing his or her body weight to getinto a balanced position. In contrast, the overshoes in the relatedprior art include arched portions on the base surface. This archedportion tends to move a user's balance forward or backward since thesurface contact is considerably less than the flat base surface 14 ofthe present invention. The base surfaces in the related prior art arearched to make movement during walking easier (i.e., heel to toemovement). However, in the sport of golf for example, an arched portionon a base surface causes there to be less of a flat surface for a userto adjust his or her balance in order to swing a golf club. Therefore,the uniformly flat base surface 14 of the present invention allows formaximum contact with the ground so a user can maintain better balance.

Returning to the spike placement on the base surface of the overshoe, asshown in FIG. 1, the spikes 16 located in the center of the sole of thebase surface 14 are distributed in a circular pattern 16 a in a locationcorresponding to the ball of the user's foot. Although the circularpattern 16 a is shown at the toe portion 14 a of the base surface 14, acircular pattern of spikes can be positioned at any region (e.g., heelregion) on the base surface within the scope of the present invention.When a user is playing the sport of golf, for example, a user will putpressure on the ball of his or her foot when swinging a golf club andtwist his or her foot in a stationary, circular motion. As the ball ofthe user's foot corresponds to the location of the circular pattern 16 aof the spikes 16, the circular pattern 16 a assists in the stationaryturn of a user's foot during play. Particularly, the circular pattern 16a allows for the natural twisting on the ball of a turning foot makeswhen, for example, swinging a golf club. Further, the arms and legs of auser would not have to assist as much in twisting his or her foot due tothe smooth uniform movement that the circular pattern 16 a provides.

As shown in FIG. 1, the spikes 16 are distributed over the entire flatbase surface 14 from the toe portion 14 a to the heel portion 14 b andall points in between. The spikes 16 are preferably pyramid-shaped;however, any shape of pointed spike or cleat can be used (e.g., diamond,conical, etc.). The pyramid shape of each spike 16 allows a user toturn, walk, run, etc., over all types of outdoor terrain without rakingup and trapping grass, dirt, turf, etc., in between the spikes.Particularly, the pyramid-shaped spike 16, when pushed into the groundwill gather little or none of the specific terrain because of thepointed design on each spike. Further, because of the staggered patternof the spikes 16, as opposed to spike clusters found on overshoes in therelated prior art, there is no catch point between the spikes that wouldcapture the specific terrain. Thus, little or no turf is trapped betweenthe spikes in the present invention. Reducing trapping of turf is alsoenhanced by having an even spacing between spikes. In the preferredconfiguration, the spikes not positioned in a circular pattern 16 a are,generally, evenly spaced apart from each other. The spacing can rangefrom 1/20 of an inch to 1 inch. As shown in FIG. 1, the spikes notpositioned in the circular pattern 16 a have adjacent spikes slightlyoffset and spaced apart from one another (i.e., in a staggered pattern).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a top view of the overshoe 10 according to thepresent invention is shown. The upper portion 22 of the outsole 12includes a wide enough opening 24 to allow the user to insert his or herfootwear of choice (not shown) into the overshoe 10. Once the overshoe10 is fully stretched over the user's footwear of choice by using thepull tab 18, the upper portion 22 is designed to elastically fit aroundthe footwear so a waterproof or water resistant seal is formed.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, there is shown different cross-sections ofthe overshoe of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 5-9, the spikesare manufactured at a suitable height and width so as to not restrictthe turn of the foot on an outdoor surface. Accordingly, pressure on theknees is reduced. In a preferred embodiment, the spikes 16 have a heightof 4mm and a base width of 0.2 mm. Although the spike height and widthis, preferably, 4 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively, different heights andwidths can be applied to the spikes within the scope of the presentinvention. Further, the spikes 16 may be integrated into the basesurface 14 so as to form one continuous piece (as shown in FIGS. 6-9),or otherwise attached to the base surface 14 (as shown in FIG. 5).

While the invention has been described in terms of its preferredembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

1. An overshoe for golf or other sports, comprising: an open top portionformed from stretchable water proof or water resistant material intowhich a user's shoe can be inserted; and a bottom portion connected toor integrally formed with said open top portion, wherein said bottomportion has a bottom surface for contacting the earth on which there isformed a plurality of spaced apart, downwardly projecting spikes, andwherein said bottom portion extends from a heel region to a toe region,and being flat from said heel region to said toe region.
 2. The overshoeof claim 1, wherein said downwardly projecting spikes are pyramidalshaped.
 3. The overshoe of claim 1, wherein said downwardly projectingspikes located in a sole region of said bottom surface of said bottomportion are arranged in a circular pattern.
 4. The overshoe of claim 1,wherein said downwardly projecting spikes are distributed over anentirety of said bottom portion from said heel region to said toe regionand at all points in between.
 5. The overshoe of claim 3, wherein saiddownwardly projecting spikes not arranged in said circular pattern aregenerally evenly spaced apart and are staggered.
 6. The overshoe ofclaim 1, wherein a pull-tab is connected to or integrally formed with aheel portion of said open top portion.
 7. An overshoe for golf or othersports, comprising: an open top portion formed from stretchable waterproof or water resistant material into which a user's shoe can beinserted; and a bottom portion connected to or integrally formed withsaid open top portion, wherein said bottom portion has a bottom surfacefor contacting the earth on which there is formed a plurality of spacedapart, downwardly projecting spikes, said bottom portion extending froma heel region to a toe region, and wherein said downwardly projectingspikes located in a sole region of said bottom surface of said bottomportion are arranged in a circular pattern.
 8. The overshoe of claim 7,wherein said downwardly projecting spikes are pyramidal shaped.
 9. Theovershoe of claim 7, wherein said downwardly projecting spikes aredistributed over an entirety of said bottom portion from said heelregion to said toe region and at all points in between.
 10. The overshoeof claim 7, wherein said downwardly projecting spikes not arranged insaid circular pattern are generally evenly spaced apart and arestaggered.
 11. The overshoe of claim 7, wherein a pull-tab is connectedto or integrally formed with a heel portion of said open top portion.12. An overshoe for golf or other sports, comprising: an open topportion formed from stretchable water proof or water resistant materialinto which a user's shoe can be inserted; and a bottom portion connectedto or integrally formed with said open top portion, wherein said bottomportion has a bottom surface for contacting the earth on which there isformed a plurality of spaced apart, downwardly projecting spikes, saidbottom portion extending from a heel region to a toe region, and whereinsaid downwardly projecting spikes are distributed over an entirety ofsaid bottom portion from said heel region to said toe region and at allpoints in between.
 13. The overshoe of claim 14, wherein said downwardlyprojecting spikes not arranged in said circular pattern are generallyevenly spaced apart and are staggered.
 14. The overshoe of claim 12,wherein said downwardly projecting spikes located in a sole region ofsaid bottom surface of said bottom portion are arranged in a circularpattern.
 15. The overshoe of claim 12, wherein said downwardlyprojecting spikes are pyramidal shaped.
 16. The overshoe of claim 12,wherein a pull-tab is connected to or integrally formed with a heelportion of said open top portion.